Lutz putts way to first SOS victory

There is a new sheriff in Seniortown and his name is Chip Lutz. The Reading, Pa., resident shot a final-round 68 to come from five shots behind and win the Society of Seniors Spring Classic March 25 at the Santa Lucia River Club in Stuart, Fla. Lutz posted a three-round score of 224 for his second victory in three events since turning 55 in January. In second place at 229 were three other northern denizens, Alan Fadel (Toledo, Ohio), Fred Silver (Lewiston, N.Y.) and Pat Vincelli (Rosemount, Minn.).

Scores

Rankings

Don Edwards, of Hobe Sound, Fla., won his first national super senior title by one shot over 2009 Super Senior Player of the Year Richard Anderson, of Bloomington, Minn.

Lutz’s 4-under 68 in the third round was the most dominant round in recent senior point event history. Consider:

Lutz’s 68 was 13.13 shots better than the average of the rest of the field

He leapfrogged 13 players on the last day after starting tied for 14th

He had the low round of the day by five shots

The 2010 Senior Amateur Tour kicked off with seven events in Florida, and the final score was Mother Nature 7, Florida Convention and Visitors Bureau 0. Each tournament dealt with some variation of cold weather, heavy rain or unusually high wind that drove scores way above normal.

At Santa Lucia, wind was the culprit, though the Jack Nicklaus-designed course gets an assist for running up the scores with the severity of its green complexes. “You can’t get there from here” ran through the heads of players if their approaches were even a bit off target. The Society tried to mitigate the effects of the wind and the elephantine greens and surrounds by moving the tees forward, giving the players a chance to use short irons to fair pin placements.

“I’m a fairly long hitter,” said Lutz. “But the course required getting the ball in the fairway so that you could place it on the correct part of the green. I only hit driver about three times each round. It was a game of ball control, strategy and self-discipline. I struck it great the entire tournament and only made one double bogey all week, but getting up-and-down was sometimes impossible, and I didn’t do it very well in the first two rounds when I did have a chance. I also had to accept the fact that on this course, in these conditions, sometimes good shots produce bad results.”

After his opening 78, Lutz switched from his Titleist Scotty Cameron putter to a TaylorMade Rossa for Round 2. Both were 34-inches long. His second-round 78 made him rethink his putter choice again.

“I went to Mike Bell, who makes long putters in addition to being a great player, and he gave me some tips as to how to use a long putter,” Luta said. “I’ve fooled around with one before, but haven’t used it in competition and he helped me a lot.”

After Bell’s tutelage, Lutz decided to remove his 4-iron and carry a long and short putter in the last round. The short one never came out of the bag as he made an early long par-saving putt with a 47-inch Yes Natalie model. It was the right decision as he made six birdies in that final round compared to only one in the first two combined.

“I also made two 8 to 10-foot par-saving putts on my 16th and 17th holes,” said Lutz, who started on No. 2. “I was so far back when the round started and didn’t know where I stood, but thought that those two gave me a chance. I wasn’t so sure when I missed a missed a 4-footer for birdie on my last hole, but it didn’t matter.”

It may be a bit early to crown a new senior king. Bill Zylstra still has the 2010 point lead, two victories this year, five wins in his last 12 tournaments and hasn’t finished out of the top 10 in a senior point event since the Gateway Senior Invitational in January 2009. There are a few other players who can be in the mix by the end of the year. It’s going to be a great year in senior golf. It’s already been darn good for Chip Lutz.

Senior amateur golf: 2015 ranked-event schedule

As November approaches, the Golfweek Senior Amateur Rankings continue to be a who’s-who of senior amateur golf. The question is, which “who” will end up at the top of the rankings on the final day of December.

It came down to the very last hole, but Steve Hudson managed to hold off Pat Thompson on Tuesday to win the inaugural Golfweek Senior Match Play Championship, while Don Marsh took the super senior title.

The Golfweek Senior National Match Play Championship has been whittled down to four players. Steve Hudson and Pat Thompson will meet in the Senior division final on Aug. 12 at the Dormie Club in West End, N.C., and Walt Martin will meet Don Marsh in the Super Senior final.

Bill Leonard feels better when he can fly right under the nose of his fellow senior competitors. But Leonard, 65, can only win so many matches and qualify for so many top tournaments before that goes right out the window.

The Sandhills on the golf-rich outskirts of Pinehurst, N.C., will provide a tricky venue for some of the nation’s top seniors at the Golfweek Senior National Match Play Championship. Keep an eye on these notable players in the field

Fred Rowland’s golf story will come full circle in July, when he joins the Kansas Golf Association Hall of Fame. Only 10 other amateurs have joined the 41-member Hall, and Rowland is an appropriate addition.

Rowland's career comes full circle with Kansas HoF nod

Fred Rowland has hit milestones in every level of the game. His next one? Induction into the Kansas Golf Hall of Fame.
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Ron Gaines
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When the last putt dropped on the Stadium course at the Golfweek Senior Amateur, Ron Carter and Ted Smith found themselves in a familiar position: atop of their respective divisions' leaderboards, earning wins.

Indiana’s Carter, Smith top Golfweek Senior Amateur

Ron Carter, left, and Ted Smith of Indiana during the 2014 Golfweek Senior Amateur -- in which each won his respective division.
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Ron Gaines, Golfweek.com
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